Lady&#39;s stocking manufactured on a circular knitting machine



R. P. M. HlN 3,318,112 LADY'S STOCKING MANUFACTURED ON A CIRCULAR KNI INE File TTING MACH d Dec. 21, 1964 May 9, 1967 INVENTOR Rosb wt 7 ej vus Maw}; H' L BY I M ATTORNEY United States Patent 0 3,318,112 LADYS STOCKING MANUFACTURED ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Rohbert P. M. Hin, Aerdenhout, Netherlands, assignor to Nittex A.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein, a corporation of Liechtenstein Filed Dec. 21, L964, Ser. No. 419,835 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Oct. 20, 1964, 6,412,217 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-108) This invention relates to ladies stockings which have been manufactured on a circular knitting machine, and to a method and a machine for the manufacture of such stockings.

Stockings of this kind present the advantage that they are very popular with the ladies since the rear seam is lacking. As a rule these stockings are knitted in the direction from the welt towards the toe, the circular knitting in the area of the heel and the toe being usually interrupted by oscillatory knitting known as reciprocatory knitting, the required heel and toe shape being obtained by narrowing and widening. Stockings of this kind are also manufactured with a method whereby the machine continues rotary knitting through the heel and toe, and a thermoplastic yarn is used which renders the knitted fabric suitable to be boarded and heat set to a predetermined shape.

Both kinds of stockings also present disadvantages. Unless they have been manufactured entirely from a run resistant fabric, they are easily subject to runs. In addition to plain knitted stockings, which may run in both directions, there exist so-called micro-mesh stockings which have been partly manufactured with tuck stitches or floats. Such stockings run only in one direction,

namely opposite to the direction of knitting. Runs, which result from thread ruptures, mostly occur at the heel as a result of wear caused by the upper edge of the shoe.

The invention aims at improving the quality of ladies stockings manufactured on a circular knitting machine by plain or micro-mesh knitting, and knitted in the direction from the welt towards the toe, without the stocking becoming too expensive.

- The present invention teaches that, in a seamless ladys stocking, above the heel and/ or the toe, an area is knit of runresistant fabric. As a result, a run started in the heel or toe is blocked. Further, by such construction a transition area is provided for safeguarding the stocking above the heel against damages by the edge of a shoe.

According to the invention it is sufficient if the runresistant knitted fabric extends around only part of the circumference of the stocking. However, the run-resistant knitted fabric adjacent the toe may extend along the entire circumference, if desired.

Instead of reinforcing the sole in the known manner with additional yarn, it is also possible, with this invention, to knit a run-resistant fabric in the sole, while maintaining the generally sheer look of the ladys stocking in the instep.

The invention is further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings show in FIG. 1 a diagrammatical side view of a ladys stocking;

FIG. 2 a corresponding side view of the lower part of the stocking, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention has been applied;

FIG. 3 a view like FIG. 2 showing a modification of the invention;

FIG. 4 a top plan view of a cam for the sinker ring of a circular knitting machine adapted for practicing the invention;

FIG. 5 a cross-section according to the line V-V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 a side view of one of the sinkers of the sinker ring;

FIG. 7 a perspective view of a stitch cam for controlling the needles of said circular knitting machine; and

FIG. 8 a side view of a modified sinker.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 denotes the leg of a seamless stocking manufactured on an automatic circular knitting machine, said stocking having been knitted in a direction from the double welt top 2 toward the toe. In doing so, the machine is rotated. in the same direction, except in the areas where the toe 3 and the heel 4 have been formed. In these areas, part of the total number of needles have been rendered inoperative while holding the stitches on said needles, then the needle cylinder is reciprocated, forming the heel and toe while narrowing and widening in the usual manner.

In order to deter the occurrence of runs beginning at the heel, the invention teaches (FIG. 2) that an arcuate area 5 of run-resistant fabric is knitted by rotary knitting until the reciprocated heel fabric 4 is commenced. Now if, as a result of friction and chafing by the upper edge of the shoe, a stitch is ruptured in the heel, no run is formed in the leg, as would be the case in known embodiments according to FIG. 1, even if the upper part of the reinforced heel 4 itself remains below the upper edge of the shoe.

The stocking (FIG. 2) may also be improved by having an arcuate area 6 of run-resistant fabric knitted between the toe 3 and the instep 7 by rotary knitting. Thus, runs which start in the toe fabric 3 are prevented from passing into the instep 7 by the run-resistant area 6. In each case, the rotary knit run-resistant areas 5 and 6 abut the conventionally knit fabric of which the stocking is constructed. Such conventionally knit fabric may be either plain fabric or micro-mesh fabric as previously described.

While maintaining the same principle of alternately plain knitting or micro-mesh knitting and run-resistant knitting, one may apply the invention to the sole portion 8 (FIG. 3). Further, area 6 (FIG. 3) may be supplemented with an arcuate area 9 of run-resistant knitted fabric to form an annular band thereof.

By applying rotary knit run-resistant fabric in the said areas 5, 6, 8, 9, the quality of the stocking is considerably improved, while maintaining its distinguished appearance. This holds in particular for the portion 5 which need hardly show above the shoe and yet deters runs as a result of thread damage by the shoe edge. If the toe 3 of the stocking is damaged by the shoe or the toes of the foot, the area 6 ensures that the run does not reach the instep portion of the foot and thereby the leg. Also the run-resistant area 6 does not show, being Within the shoe. The reinforcement accomplished with the run-resistant sole 8 not only blocks runs, but also presents, without the necessity of resorting to extra threads, a reinforcement area.

For application of the invention, it is not necessary that the heel and/or the toe have been .knitted according to the reciprocating method with narrowing and widening. It is possible to apply the invention to stockings which are rotary knitted throughout, and of which the heel and the toe, after having been knitted, are given the required shape by boarding and heat setting to a predetermined shape. Obviously, it is necessary for this purpose to select the correct thermoplastic yarn in the known way. In such case, the heel 4 and toe 3 may be rotary knit of run-resistant fabric.

In a circular knitting machine with a rotary needle cylinder and sinker ring for the manufacture of a stock ing according to the invention, some preferred parts will now be described.

To the conventional sinker cap there is added a radially movable sinker cam 10 (FIGS. 4 and 5) to act on the sinkers 13 (FIG. 6). There are two kinds of sinkers, namely sinkers with a high butt 14 and sinkers with a low butt 15 (see broken line in FIG. 6). The low butt sinkers equal or exceed in number the desired number of sinker Wales in the arcuate areas of run-resistant fabric.

'In order to knit normal plain stitches, the sinkers 13 having a high butt 14 are drawn outward by means of the surface 12 of sinker cam so that the stitch is formed on ledge 17 in FIG. 6. The sinkers 13 having a low butt 15 move along the surface 11 of the cam 10, therefore they are withdrawn less far. The stitch is then formed on ledge 16 in FIG. 6, behind the neb. Since the ledge 16 is located higher than the ledge 17 (FIG. 6), the stitch formed on ledge 16 will be larger than the one formed at 17.

In order to knit plain stitches or micro-mesh stitches along the entire circumference of the stocking, the sinker cam 10 is retracted from the needle circle, by conventional linkage means, such as that shown in U.S. Patents Nos. 1,189,220, 2,609,677, 3,104,537 or 3,172,274, or British Patent No. 526,280 or German Patent No. 1,127,- 531. When this is done, all of the stitches are formed on ledges 17.

FIG. 8 shows, in addition to the ledges 16 and 17, another two ledges 20, 21, since one is not limited to the aplication of two sinker ledge heights.

A preferred fabric for incorporation into the run resistant areas 5, 6, 8 and 9 is disclosed in Nebel et al. US. Patent No. 3,157,037. Such run-resistant fabric consists of plain knit courses alternating with courses composed of alternate tuck loops and knitted stitches, with the plain knit courses containing a shorter length of yarn per course than the courses containing tuck loops. The needle selection necessary to knit such a runresistant fabric is accomplished with the usual pattern drum and pattern jacks, which control the needles through the conventional jacks in the needle cylinder.

To aid in knitting such a run-resistant fabric, the special stitch cam shown in FIG. 7 may be provided, having two stitch drawing points, 18 and 19. The conventional latch needles (not shown) are arranged so that selected needles are provided with short butts, and the remaining needles are provided with long butts. When the stitch cam is in its advanced position, all needles are drawn down to the stitch point 19, but when the stitch cam is in its retracted position, the short butt needles are drawn down to stitch point 18 and the long butt needles only are drawn down to stitch point 19. Thus, the short 7 butt needles will knit a shorter stitch than the needles having a longer butt.

The advancement of the stitch cam to its innermost position, and its retraction to its outermost position, is accomplished by the usual mechanism comprising standard equipment for a circular knitting machine.

By controlling the needles and the sinkers in the abovedescribed sense and by doing so during part of a revolution of the needle cylinder for normal plain or micromesh knitting, and during another part for run-resistant knitting, the effect of the invention is obtained.

Thus, while knitting the run-resistant area 5 of the stocking, two contiguous arcuate segments of fabric are formed, one of conventionally knit fabric and the other of run-resistant fabric, with the yarn forming one arcuate segment passing, without interruption, into the other arcuate segment of fabric. In knitting the plain fabric segment, sinker cam 10 is retracted so that all needles draw yarn over the ledge 17. In knitting the run-resistant band, sinker cam 10 is advanced While selected courses are knit, so that the high butt sinkers only are retracted sufficiently to permit yarn to be drawn on the ledges 17. During such times, the low butt sinkers are withdrawn only partially from the needle circle, thus permitting the yarn to be drawn on their higher ledges 16 during knitting of the run-resistant fabric. During knitting of the remaining or non-selected courses of the runresistant area, sinker 10 is .retracted so that the yarn is drawn over the ledges 17 of all sinkers. In this fashion, it is possible to knit the arcuate segment of run-resistant fabric from the same yarn from which the conventionally knit fabric is made, and without the addition of a reinforcing or additional yarn.

In knitting the run-resistant fabric previously described, and shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,157,037, the loops for the plain knit courses, containing the shorter yarn length per course, are drawn over the sinker ledge 17, whereas the loops for the tuck loop course, containing the longer yarn length per course, are drawn over the sinker ledge 16. After an arcuate run-resistant area, such as 5, 6 or 8, has been knit, sinker cam 10 is retracted to permit normal rotary knitting, with all yarn loops drawn over sinker ledge 17. In knitting such a stocking construction, the low butt sinkers preferably equal in number the number of sinker wales in the arcuate areas of run-resistant fabric.

With the aid of the afore-described selection possibilities of needles and sinkers, it is possible to apply other types of run-resistant rotary knitting locally in plain or micro-mesh knitted stockings.

The term ladys stocking used herein also comprises tights and leotards.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a complement of independent needles and sinkers for knitting an arcuate area of run-resistant fabric contiguous to a complementary arcuate area of conventional fabric, with the yarn passing course-wise without interruption from one arcuate area into the other arcuate area, said area of run-resistant fabric having yarn loops in selected courses of a larger size than the yarn loops in the area of conventional fabric, the combination including:

(a) each sinker having a neb and two yarn drawing ledges, one ledge being disposed above the other,

(b) a plurality of said sinkers, at least equal in number to the number of sinker wales in the arcuate area of run-resistant fabric, having relatively low butts, and the remainder of said sinkers having relatively high butts,

(c) and a radially movable sinker cam for acting on said sinker butts to retract the sinkers, said sinker cam having two cam surfaces, one for the high sinker butts and the other for the low sinkerbutts,

((1) whereby when said sinker cam is in a radially advanced position the sinkers are retracted so that yarn is drawn over the higher yarn drawing ledges of the low butt sinkers and over the lower yarn drawing ledges of the high butt sinkers, and when said sinker cam is in a radially retracted position the sinkers are retracted so that the yarn is drawn over the lower yarn drawing ledges of all the sinkers.

2. The circular knitting machine of claim 1 wherein the lower yarn drawing ledges of the sinkers are disposed in front of the sinker nebs and the higher yarn drawing ledges are disposed behind the sinker nebs.

5 6 3. The circular knitting machine of claim 1 wherein 3,131,556 5/ 1964 Nebel 66178 the higher and lower yarn drawing ledges of the sinkers 3,157,037 11/1964 Nebel et a1. 66172 are disposed in front of the sinker nebs. 3,172,374 3/1965 Anthony et a1 66108 3,173,278 3/1965 Kaylor 66172 References Cited by the Examiner 3,197,978 8/1965 Sheeler 6669 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,208,241 9/1965 Frederick 66172 1,819,958 8/1931 Lochhead 66-182 3,221,522 12/1965 Nebel 2,887,860 5/1959 Bellman 66172 1 3,052,110 9/1962 Heggie 66 172 MERVIN STEIN, Prlmary Exammer- 3,030,740 3 19 Nebe1 103 l R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A COMPLEMENT OF INDEPENDENT NEEDLES AND SINKERS FOR KNITTING AN ARCUATE AREA OF RUN-RESISTANT FABRIC CONTIGUOUS TO A COMPLEMENTARY ARCUATE AREA OF CONVENTIONAL FABRIC, WITH THE YARN PASSING COURSE-WISE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION FROM ONE ARCUATE AREA INTO THE OTHER ARCUATE AREA, SAID AREA OF RUN-RESISTANT FABRIC HAVING YARN LOOPS IN SELECTED COURSES OF A LARGER SIZE THAN THE YARN LOOPS IN THE AREA OF CONVENTIONAL FABRIC, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING: (A) EACH SINKER HAVING A NEB AND TWO YARN DRAWING LEDGES, ONE LEDGE BEING DISPOSED ABOVE THE OTHER, (B) A PLURALITY OF SAID SINKERS, AT LEAST EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF SINKER WALES IN THE ARCUATE AREA OF RUN-RESISTANT FABRIC, HAVING RELATIVELY LOW BUTTS, AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID SINKERS HAVING RELATIVELY HIGH BUTTS, (C) AND A RADIALLY MOVABLE SINKER CAM FOR ACTING ON SAID SINKER BUTTS TO RETRACT THE SINKERS, SAID SINKER CAM HAVING TWO CAM SURFACES, ONE FOR THE HIGH SINKER BUTTS AND THE OTHER FOR THE LOW SINKER BUTTS, (D) WHEREBY WHEN SAID SINKER CAM IS IN A RADIALLY ADVANCED POSITION THE SINKERS ARE RETRACTED SO THAT YARN IS DRAWN OVER THE HIGHER YARN DRAWING LEDGES OF THE LOW BUTT SINKERS AND OVER THE LOWER YARN DRAWING LEDGES OF THE HIGH BUTT SINKERS, AND WHEN SAID SINKER CAM IS IN A RADIALLY RETRACTED POSITION THE SINKERS ARE RETRACTED SO THAT THE YARN IS DRAWN OVER THE LOWER YARN DRAWING LEDGES OF ALL THE SINKERS. 